scrapping {layouts + revelation}

i am tickled pink that i actually got some paper scrapping done this week. this is going to be a long post, so bear with me. it's another one of those topics that keeps floating around in my head, so i have to get it out of my system :) plus, i have no idea how to "make a long story short", so here goes...

the first layout i did (which is actually a 2-page 12x12 layout), started with this organizational website i mentioned in my projects post. the first part of the challenge was to actually scrap something so that you could take notes of what works in your area and what doesn't work.

i think it was actually last weekend that i started this (while coleman was napping). the layout idea itself was a total scraplift from ali edwards. this post shows how she scraps her christmas cards every year. this post features a scraplift of the idea, as well. our christmas cards were just piled up in my scraproom (aka - junk collecting room), so i figured it was a good layout to tackle. i began by chopping up all the cards. i got the "collage" part of it done last weekend. and there it sat.

fast forward to this weekend. my friend cassidy has been itching to scrap some pictures of her adorable baby girl, so i invited her to come over and use some of my stash to get started. and on saturday, that's exactly what happened. i pulled out my supplies as well, and before cassidy even arrived, i was able to finish up the christmas card photo layout (and yes, i took notes on what worked and didn't work).

as mentioned in this post, i am committed to completing coleman's first year "carousel" album that my sister made for me. prior to this weeknd, i had only done through month three (seven months behind). my goal, while cassidy was over, was to get my notes organized so that next weekend when i scrap with my sisters, i can get caught up. i got a little bit of this done while she was there, but not too much.

since cassidy and i had to scrap while entertaining babies, i had my stuff out on the kitchen table. matt was working this weekend so i decided to leave it out on sunday just in case i might be able to work on it some more. most of sunday went by with no suck luck. after lunch, coleman and i ran a few errands, which included picking up a picture order from walgreen's. included were the photos for the carousel (again, the plan was to tackle them the following weekend).

at some point after we got home, i got motivated. it helped that coleman was cooperative. but between the afternoon hours and after coleman went to bed, i was able to get the carousel completely caught up. not only did it feel great to accomplish this, but it also means that i'm now free to do something else next weekend while scrapping with my sisters.

so...quite a long post to say not much of anything, right??? i do have a point. remember that "work flow" i talked about? and how i wanted to "baby proof" my scrapbooking room? well, these are all great ideas (and necessary to do at some point). but a huge lightbulb went off...to be able to scrapbook on a regular basis, my hobby has to flow...not just in my studio but in my life. and my life is spent in the den/kitchen area of our home. duh! seriously...why didn't i think of this sooner???

here's the catch. matt and i both despise clutter. it's totally unrealistic for me to keep my scrapbooking supplies at the kitchen table. so, here are my thoughts: as i'm evaluating things in my scrapbook studio that need adjusting, i need to make sure that the 'basics' are mobile...that they can easily come downstairs when necessary. they are pretty easy at this point so this isn't too much of an issue, but could be improved. project folders or files will be key too. i need to have some projects that are easy to pack up and work on downstairs at times. i need to be able to bring supplies for a project up or down in only one or two trips. if it's much more complicated than that, i know i won't do it on a regular basis. this will probably mostly be on weekends when either matt is working or when we don't have a lot of other stuff going on. i loved being able to work on this stuff while matt sat and watched tv just a few feet away. no guilt! this could be the key to getting my 2009 Project 365 completed!

as basic as all of this seems...i truly feel this is a huge revelation for me and i hope it will lead to more one-on-one time with my hobby that i adore. if you actually read this whole thing...thanks :) if there are any scrappers reading this, i'd love to know...how do you fit scrapbooking into your daily life?